WATCH : Delta Plane’s Nose Bursts Into Flames After Landing as Passengers Rush to Evacuate via Wings and Slide

The nose of a Delta plane burst into flames on Monday, May 6 due to an electrical malfunction, the airline confirms.  

Delta Flight 604 had just landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington from Cancun when the incident occurred. The Airbus A321neo aircraft was carrying 189 passengers, two pilots and four flight attendants, according to the airline.

Surveillance footage of the incident shows the plane arriving safely at the gate followed by what appears to be an employee connecting a black wire to the nose of the aircraft. Black smoke then billows out from the front of the plane and red flames erupt. 

As the fire and smoke grow bigger, the emergency slide deploys at the rear of the aircraft. Passengers then scramble onto the wing via emergency doors and exit down the slides before hurrying away from the plane. 

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a spokesperson from Delta said: “During deplaning on the evening of May 6, the crew of Flight 604 from Cancun to Seattle witnessed smoke in the aircraft nose area after plugging into ground electrical power.”

They continued, “Out of an abundance of caution, slides were deployed and passengers still on board deplaned via the rear of the aircraft. Passengers were fully evacuated, and those deplaned to the ramp returned to the terminal via the ramp stairs.”

Once safely off the plane, all passengers went through reg -

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ular processing in the International Arrivals Facility for customs, the airline adds. The aircraft was then removed from service to be inspected and undergo maintenance. 

The airline also confirmed that they opened up an investigation that focuses on the ground power apparatus and not the aircraft, which they say is less than two years old. They add that Delta operates approximately 4,800 average departures every day. 

In April, Delta Flight 520 had to make an emergency return to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after the evacuation slide fell from the aircraft shortly after takeoff.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the “crew reported a vibration” after hearing a non-routine sound near the right wing of the plane. The Boeing 767-300ER aircraft landed safely at the New York City airport where it was confirmed that the slide was missing. 

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A few days later, the slide was found caught in a jetty in Queens, New York. 

A spokesperson for the New York City Parks Department told PEOPLE, “On Sunday April 28, Delta removed a large piece of debris from the jetty near Beach 131 Street.”

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